Eight was a long time in coming

Or so Z believes. He has been waiting for the twin honors of baptism and scouts for a very long time. Because his birthday fell on a Wednesday and scouts is on a Wednesday, he had the distinct pleasure of attending scouts for the first time on his actual birthday and that's what he chose to do, even though it meant foregoing cake, ice cream and the bulk of his presents until Saturday when he would be baptized and more family would be in town. But then scouts was cancelled. Oh the horrors.

His cub scout leader (the head one, I'm really going to have to get up on the terminology) and the Primary President, knowing how much Z had been waiting and how crushed he would be, decided to have his intro to scouting meeting (showing us the cub handbook, etc) in the same time slot as actual scouts would have been had his actual leader (wolf?) not been out of town. So, he had his baptismal interview with Bishop Dad and then we talked scouts with his leaders and went home, having opened family presents that morning. It was probably the most uneventful kid birthday we've ever had.

Fast forward to the weekend. Some cousins, an aunt and uncle arrived late Thursday night. A set of grandparents and another aunt arrived on Friday. And then the insanity began. I made two birthday cakes (one for Z and one for my sister whose birthday is the day before Z's):



I think Z's request for a Bionicle cake ("Mom, just put the Bionicle on the cake") wins the award for easiest birthday cake ever.

We gathered all the necessary accoutrements and went to the stake center for Z's baptism where we were met by friends and family for this most special gateway event. I love that Z was so excited, he nearly jumped out of his skin on several occasions.


Z has made a charming transformation in the past little while into the most affectionate and polite of children. He wants so desperately to do the right thing. He understands what that right thing is most of the time and he battles his inability to always make the right choice. It is a testimony to me of the divine wisdom in defining the age of accountability as eight. This is the exact right time. He knows right from wrong and he wants to do right but in a few years, guile and hormones will begin to overtake his innocent desire for goodness and without the blessings of the Holy Ghost, he (like all of us) would be lost.

These first eight years of his life have flown so quickly by. The world has literally changed since he was born just nine days before 9/11. It will likely seem like mere moments before he is receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, going off to college, a mission and being a grown up. I can hardly imagine what these transformations will look or feel like or how swiftly the roller coaster ride will be. Hold on to your hats!